


Familiars

by Burgie



Series: Magic School AU [2]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:56:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8203144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Alex introduces Katja to the Soul Steeds.





	

Alex stopped outside the protected area of the stables. She knew that summoning wouldn’t work inside the stables, to protect the horses inside and to prevent any adverse effects from outside magic interfering with the magical equines contained within.

“Katja,” she murmured, and closed her eyes at the bright flash that preceded the demon’s arrival.

“You know you don’t have to hold the charm up to your lips, don’t you?” Katja teased, smirking.

“Of course I do,” said Alex, blushing and tucking the necklace away again.

“So, why did you summon me this time?” asked Katja, looking around at their surroundings. They were on the edge of a thick wood, with a heavily-warded stable in front of them. Katja wasn’t sure if the wards were visible to everyone, or just those with this much magic running in their veins. The sound of horses neighing and moving around in the stalls stirred a distant memory, but Alex spoke before it could become anything more than a niggling thought.

“I wanted to introduce you to my soulmate and best friend,” said Alex. “Hopefully you can cross the force field.” Katja looked doubtfully at the bright wall in front of her, but took a step towards it. The magic made her skin tingle, but it only stayed a tingle as she stepped through it. Alex followed her.

“Normally it would repel me, but my bond to you must be strong enough to let me pass,” said Katja. The memory was trying to surface again, stronger this time. The smell of the horses should have been accompanied by the scent of burning things and magic, but it wasn’t. Not the burning things, at least.

“Have you been around horses before?” asked Alex. “You look like you know this place. And you’re not complaining about the spell.”

“Yes,” said Katja. “I feel like I had a horse, but… I can’t remember anything about it.”

“Maybe meeting these horses will help you remember,” said Alex. “Come on, let’s go.” She took Katja’s hand, too caught up in her eagerness to see her horse. Katja smiled but didn’t pull her hand away as she followed Alex into the stables. The scent of horses was stronger now, and she could see glimpses of white and blue and grey and white and orange and gold, even turquoise further in the stables. She almost stumbled at the intense feeling of longing that washed over her.

“I did have a horse,” said Katja. “A beautiful steed, he was… he was a hell horse. Stalker. But I can’t remember what happened to him.”

“Could I summon him?” asked Alex.

“Oh, Alex, I thought you’d learned your lesson about summoning demons,” said a voice, and Alex paled but then just scowled as a blonde girl led a grey Pegasus out of one of the stalls.

“This one didn’t go too badly,” said Alex, gesturing to Katja.

“I can see that,” said the other girl, looking pointedly at their joined hands. Alex blushed but didn’t pull away. “Fine then, summon a hell horse if you want. I won’t tell anyone, but if you get caught, I don’t know anything and I won’t defend you.”

“Good to know you save your own ass,” Alex muttered. Louder, she said, “Going for a flight?”

“It’s a good day for it,” said Anne. Katja remembered her now, from the café.

“Well, have fun with that,” said Alex. Anne nodded and walked past her, out into the stable courtyard. Katja watched the Pegasus spread his wings and flap them a few times once his rider was settled, and then he disappeared from view with the sound of galloping hooves and the louder beating of wings.

“Is your horse that pretty?” asked Katja.

“He’s a pony,” Alex corrected. “And, well, you’ll see.”

They walked past a white unicorn with light blue mane and tail, and an orange horse with white mane and tail and the distinctive white beard of a unicorn. But he had no horn.

“Is that one a unicorn?” asked Katja, pointing at the orange horse.

“He was supposed to be,” said Alex. “But he was born hornless. He still has magic, it just has to be channelled through runes or his hooves.” Now that Katja was looking at the horse, she could see swirling runes covering parts of his body. That was nothing, however, compared to the runes covering every inch of the golden unicorn standing in the next stall. Alex’s grinning face told Katja all she needed to know.

“And this is your magical pony,” said Katja, smiling at Alex’s enthusiasm.

“Yes, this is Tin Can,” said Alex, opening the stall door and slipping inside to pat the unicorn. She hugged his neck, and Katja wished that she could have the same with her own horse.

“He’s beautiful,” said Katja. His mane and tail were quite spiky, almost shaped like lightning bolts. And he radiated power.

“He’s my Soul Steed,” said Alex. “All Soul Riders get a horse of their own to help them cast spells. Linda has Meteor, Lisa has Starshine, Anne has Concorde, and I have my Tin Can.”

“And who owns that one?” asked Katja, nodding towards the turquoise kirin in the next stall.

“Some other girl,” said Alex. “Hey, if you had a hell horse, does that mean that you were a Soul Rider?”

“I might have been,” said Katja, frowning. “I don’t remember. But I did have a special bond with him.” She remembered the midnight-blue fur, his square-shaped dark blue mane, the flames that burned eternally around his hooves.

“All the more reason to get him back, then,” said Alex. “I don’t know where we’ll keep him but I’ll figure it out.”

“I can enchant the necklace so that he’s contained within it as well,” said Katja. “He won’t be summoned when I am, I can just summon him myself.” She stood on the other side of Tin Can, and she saw a strange look come over Alex’s face. Like she wanted to kiss her.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” said Alex. The moment passed, and Katja stepped away so Alex could tack up her horse. “Wanna come for a ride with me?”

“Can I?” asked Katja. Someone might see her.

“Of course,” said Alex. “For all anyone else knows, you’re just a girl who I’m taking for a ride.”

“Okay then,” said Katja, grinning. Once Alex was in the saddle, Katja jumped up behind her and wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist. Alex was going to help her get her horse back. She could kiss her for that.


End file.
